Caramel Apple Trifle

Fluffy cubes of apple cider-infused cake, caramel cheesecake filling, cinnamon-spiced apples, luscious salted caramel, and toasted pecans ALL together in one show stopper of a trifle!

Happy Fall, y’all!!!

I’m sure I’ve said that phrase about a baJillian times on this blog, but I just can’t contain the excitement I get when Autumn officially arrives.

Not only is Fall the kickoff of the holiday season (Halloween is JUST around the corner, people!), but it embraces some of the most heavenly flavors when it comes to sweets and treats–cinnamon, maple, caramel, butterscotch, apple, and of course, PUMPKIN!!!

Although I’m absolutely dying to break out a new pumpkin recipe, this week I decided to commence the best season of all with one of the best combos of all…CARAMEL APPLES.

Because who DOESN’T love a good caramel apple?? Moreover, who doesn’t love a gorgeous trifle that contains every single delicious element of a crisp caramel apple?

This Caramel Apple Trifle tastes just as exquisite as it looks. Actually, it might even taste BETTER than it looks…

With sinful layers of creamy caramel cheesecake filling, moist apple cider cake, fresh apple pie filling, homemade salted caramel, and toasted pecans, this trifle is guaranteed to impress everyone at your next gathering.

As you can tell, there are several components to this dessert, HOWEVER, the labor is well worth the love you’ll receive for making it. And don’t worry, I made sure to throw in a couple of shortcuts to make the process a little easier!

Speaking of shortcuts, the first one involves using a box of cake mix. Of course, we will be doctoring it up quite a bit to add extra flavor and yumminess!

For extra sweetness and flavor, a package of instant vanilla pudding is mixed into the batter. Not only does it add flavor, but it also ensures that the cake is perfectly moist. A whole cup of sour cream is also added to achieve that moist crumb. 

To infuse the cake with as much apple flavor as possible, both apple cider AND applesauce are added. You can either use a 1/2 cup of freshly-pressed apple cider or you can use a hot apple cider mix, like I did. My favorite brand is Alpine Original Spiced Apple Cider Instant Drink Mix. All you have to do is combine one packet with 1/2 cup of hot water, and stir until dissolved. Fall spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves) are also stirred into the batter to enhance the apple flavor.

When it comes to the apple filling, you’re welcome to use any variety. I personally prefer Gala, Honey Crisp, Fuji, or Granny Smith. For this dessert, I used Gala apples. After peeling and coring the apples, I sliced them into 1/4-inch thick slices. This ensures that they cook all the way through and you don’t end up with hard apples in the filling.

Speaking of cooking, you’ll want to cook the apples in the butter, sugars, and spices until they’re tender and cooked all the way through. Once the cornstarch is added, it doesn’t take long for the sauce to thicken up, and you won’t want to cook the filling much longer.

Now, let’s talk caramel for a little bit…

After making (and messing up) several batches of caramel in my lifetime, I’ve come up with a few tips to ensure that your caramel turns out nothing short of perfection. 

1. Order Matters. Pour the water into the pan FIRST, then carefully pour the sugar into the center of the pan, making sure none of the sugar crystals cling to the sides of the pan. The reason being that those sugar crystals won’t dissolve, thus when reincorporated with the sugar syrup, it results in a grainy caramel. If you do see unmelted sugar on the sides of the pan, use a wet pastry brush to wipe them down.
2. Leave it alone. Once the sugar is poured into the water, leave the pan alone as it cooks. There’s no need to touch it until the color starts to turn yellowish, and you don’t want to risk any sugar crystals splashing up against the sides of the pan.
3. Swirl. DON’T stir. Once it goes from clear to yellowish, simply lift the pan by the handle and use your wrist to swirl the sugar liquid around. Swirling not only ensures even browning, but it also prevents the possibility of any sugar crystals from splattering onto the sides of the pan, thus resulting in crystallization.
4. Add corn syrup. For added insurance, stir in a little corn syrup. It helps to stabilize the sugar syrup and acts as an “interfering agent,” which means it prevents the sugar molecules from joining back together after it melts. A little bit of lemon juice also works great in preventing crystallization, aka, grainy caramel.

Now we move onto the caramel cheesecake filling, which honestly couldn’t be any easier to make. It only involves three ingredients and comes together in less than 5 minutes! You’ll start off by whipping up two cups of heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Then you’ll beat two packages of cream cheese with one cup of that DELISH caramel you made earlier. And to bring it all together, fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture until light and fluffy.

To assemble the whole shabang (What am I, 70 years old??), start with a layer of cake (cut into cubes), spread on a layer of caramel cheesecake filling, spoon some apple pie filling on top, add a generous drizzle of salted caramel, then sprinkle some chopped pecans on top. Repeat this layering process once more, then finish the trifle with a fluffy border of caramel cheesecake filling, a drizzle of caramel and a sprinkling of pecans. 

I can pretty much guarantee that you won’t find a dessert more fitting for fall than this Caramel Apple Trifle. Not only is it a knockout, but it’s dripping with deliciousness!

Trust me, you NEED this at your next holiday celebration.

Caramel Apple Trifle

Fluffy cubes of apple cider-infused cake, caramel cheesecake filling, cinnamon-spiced apples, luscious salted caramel, and toasted pecans ALL together in one show stopper of a trifle!

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 2 hours hrs 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 34 minutes mins

Total Time 3 hours hrs 4 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 12 Servings

Ingredients

  

Apple Cake:

• ½ cup hot water
• 1 (21g) packet apple cider mix (dry)*
• 1 box white cake mix
• 1 (3.4 oz) box instant vanilla pudding mix
• 1 cup applesauce
• 1 cup sour cream
• 3 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
• Pinch of salt

Caramel:

• ⅔ cup water
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 2 Tablespoons corn syrup
• 1 ¼ cup heavy cream
• 1 ½ teaspoon salt

Apple Pie Filling:

• 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
• 6 cups peeled and thinly-sliced apples (about 5 medium apples)**
• ⅔ cup brown sugar, packed
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 2 Tablespoons cornstarch
• ⅔ cup water

Caramel Cheesecake Filling:

• 2 cups heavy cream
• 16 ounces cream cheese
• 1 cup caramel (from recipe above)

To Assemble:

• 2 cups pecans, toasted and coarsely chopped

Instructions

 

Make the Cake:

• Preheat the oven to 350ºF; spray a 9x13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
• In a measuring cup, stir together the hot water and apple cider mix until the mix has dissolved. Set aside to cool for at least 5 minutes.
• In a large mixing bowl, combine all of the cake ingredients, including the slightly-cooled apple cider, until smooth; batter will be thick.
• Pour batter into prepared baking dish, and spread evenly. Bake for 30-34 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow cake to cool completely, then cut into bite-sized cubes.

Make the Caramel:

• Pour the water into a medium saucepan. Pour the sugar into the center of the pan, making sure none of the sugar crystals hit the sides. Add the corn syrup.
• Place pan over medium heat, leaving it alone for the first 5 minutes or until it the color begins to turn yellowish. Once you see some color, gently swirl the pan around occasionally as it boils. Continue boiling until the caramel reaches a golden amber color, about 10 to 15 minutes.
• Remove pan from the heat and carefully whisk in the heavy cream. Caramel will sizzle and bubble up. Stir in the salt, and continue whisking until caramel is smooth. If needed, return pan over medium-low heat, stirring until caramel is smooth. Transfer to dish or glass measuring cup to cool completely. Caramel will continue to thicken as it cools.

Make the Apple Filling:

• Melt the butter in a medium saucepan set over medium heat. Add the apples, and toss until evenly-coated in the butter. Stir in both sugars, spices and salt. Bring to a simmer, then cook until apples soften, about 10-15 minutes.
• In a small bowl, whisk the cornstarch and water together.
• Pour the cornstarch liquid over the softened apples and carefully stir. Continue cooking and stirring until filling has thickened. Cool completely.

Make the Cheesecake Filling:

• In the chilled bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Transfer whipped cream to a separate bowl and return bowl to mixer.
• Switch whisk attachment out for paddle attachment. Beat cream cheese and caramel until light and creamy. Add a third of the whipped cream, beating until just combined. Remove bowl from mixer and fold in the remaining whipped cream.

Assemble the Trifle:

• Place half of the cake cubes into the bottom of a large trifle dish or bowl. Spread a third of the cheesecake filling on top. Spoon half of the apple filling on top the cheesecake filling, then drizzle with a 1/2 cup of the caramel. Sprinkle 2/3 of the chopped pecans on top.
• Repeat steps with the remaining cake, a third of the cream filling, remaining apple filling, and 1/2 cup caramel.
• Pipe remaining cheesecake filling along the border, drizzle with caramel, and sprinkle remaining chopped pecans on top. Store in the refrigerator before serving.

Notes

*I used Alpine Original Spiced Apple Cider

**I used Gala apples and sliced them about 1/4-inch thick.